R. Nallakannu, a life committed to communism and social justice

Freedom fighter and towering figure of the communist movement, R. Nallakannu, passed away in Chennai on Wednesday (February 25, 2026). He was 101-years old. He was ailing for some time and was undergoing treatment at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital where he breathed his last.

Born on November December 26, 1924, Nallakannu remained a vital link between the present generation and a time when idealism and selfless spirit dominated public life.

Fondly known as RNK in party circles, he chose to remain with the Communist Party of India (CPI) when the Communist movement in India split in 1964 following the Indo-China war. He served as Tamil Nadu state secretary of the CPI for three tenures since 1992.

A dedicated field worker and organisational man, Nallakannu led a tireless campaign against the sand mafia that was illegally mining sand from the Thamiraparani river basin. In 2010, he filed a Public Interest Litigation and personally argued the case in the Madras High Court, securing a stay order against sand mining.

Soft-spoken and affable, RNK embodied the values of sacrifice, idealism, and unwavering commitment to the communist movement and social justice. He shared with leaders such as Jeeva and K. Balathandayutham a love for the poems of national poet Subramania Bharati and the hymns of the Azhwars, particularly Andal and Nammazhwar, appreciating their poetic beauty.

RNK was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Nellai Conspiracy Case, along with K. Balathandayutham, P. Manikkam, I. Mayandibharathi, and many others. He also spent many years underground during periods when the Communist Party was banned—first by the British, and later by the Congress government led by Jawaharlal Nehru. He endured severe police brutality; he was unable to grow a moustache thereafter, as a police officer had singed his upper lip with a cigarette butt.

“I was hiding in a friend’s house when the police arrested me. After securing some bombs, they tied my hands and beat me. But I refused to reveal the names of Communist leaders,” he said in an interview, recalling the torture he faced.

Born in 1925 in Srivaikundam, Thoothukudi district, RNK joined the freedom movement as a schoolboy, in a region that was a nerve centre of the independence struggle, nurtured by V.O. Chidambaram, who ran the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (SSNC).

“Political leaders would travel to Thoothukudi through my native town of Srivaikundam. I would join the local leaders in organising meetings. You should have heard Pappankulam Chockalingam speak about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre—the entire crowd would weep uncontrollably. Though I was active, I was not allowed to participate in the individual Satyagraha or Quit India movements due to my age,” he recalled in a 2019 interview with The Hindu.

After completing his schooling at Coronation School in Srivaikundam, he joined MDT Hindu College in Tirunelveli. “It was there I came into contact with the writer TMC Raghunathan and raised ₹400 for the Bharathi Memorial in Ettayapuram,” he told Tamil writer Mana in an interview.

RNK joined the Communist Party at the age of 18 and worked closely with P. Srinivasa Rao, who led the agrarian movement in Tamil Nadu. His exposure to the trade union movement in Harvey Mills, Thoothukudi, and his reading of works by Tamil scholar and trade unionist Thiru.Vi. Kalyanasundaram prepared him to commit fully to the Communist movement. “My father wanted me to take a job and lead a normal life. But I simply left home with a dhoti and towel and became a full-time worker of the Communist Party,” he said in the interview.

RNK fought against the exploitation of farm workers by Shaivaite and Vaishnavite Mutts. When he attempted to enter streets forbidden to oppressed communities, he was overpowered, tied to a post, and beaten.

In 1949, he was arrested in the Nellai Conspiracy Case, which alleged that Communists conspired to overthrow Jawaharlal Nehru’s government. He was released in 1956. “The cell doors would be opened briefly in the morning for us to relieve ourselves. The rest of the day was spent in the cell with a pot to urinate in,” he once recalled.

RNK was deeply troubled by the emergence of the RSS-BJP in the Indian political landscape and always expressed concern over the undermining of public sector undertakings and trade unions.

He was also in favour of unification of the communist parties. “The CPI and the CPI(M) should consider unification. It may not happen overnight, since many decades have passed since the communist movement split. Only the communist parties can bring together secular forces against the communal BJP and the Hindutva forces, and halt their march,” he once told The Hindu.

A tribute by Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, who won against RNK in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections from the Coimbatore constituency as a BJP candidate, speaks volumes about the Communist leader’s character. “I was actually upset that a dignified leader like him could not win the election. The time of victory need not always be a time for celebration. It was a time when I felt that victory could also bring deep pain,” wrote Mr. Radhakrishnan in a book on RNK, Aravazhvin Adayalam, published by The Hindu Tamil Thisai.

He was married to Ranjitham, daughter of a local communist leader, Annasamy, who incidentally was killed during the 1995 caste riots in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. One of his daughters, Andal, is a doctor, whilst another daughter, Kasi Bharathi, reflects a combination of names — Kaisina Vendan, the presiding deity of Puliamkulam, and Bharathi.

Published – February 25, 2026 02:54 pm IST